It’s the due process, stupid
Tuesday September 11th 2007, 12:20 pm

As many as 200 NSW Police officers were photographed at the APEC protest who had removed their velcro-backed name badges. Velcro is not terribly effective as a weapon, so Scipione’s name badge pin-stick injury excuse holds absolutely no water. The police union would have an OS&H conniption if officers were required to wear anything that could injure them on the job, regardless.

image: The Sydney Morning Herald
image: The Sydney Morning Herald

Uniformed police officers must be identifiable. Failure for officers to be identifiable is a deliberate attempt to compromise the due process rights of citizens they may assault.

The solution? Eliminate removable name badges. Print a unique identifying number on each uniform, in BIG letters which can be read from a distance, not unlike a footy player’s jersey. Each officer would be held responsible for the numbered uniforms in his or her possession, not unlike their firearms.

Could look like this:

and let's go to the video refereee...

Marked police cars have individual number plates and large letters painted on the bonnet or roof to identify the specific vehicle. No different to have something similar on police uniforms. Surely the police union would support any measure which would minimise chances of their members being falsely accused of impropriety.

-weez


4 Comments so far
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Don’t miss David Marr’s take: Lucky we all got out alive in Fear City

Comment by weez 09.12.07 @ 9:55 am

“Each stormtrooper is assigned a number for tactical purposes and to reinforce the Imperial ethic of uniformity.”

Look, I don’t know about substituting “bad” for “worse”, but this could be it…

Comment by Flashman 09.12.07 @ 11:03 am

So, your practical suggestion to improve identifiability of cops at protests is…?

And don’t you think that if the cops thought they’d be held responsible for their actions, they’d moderate their behaviour?

No- this is not bad for worse- this is substituting ‘use excessive force and lose your meal ticket and everything you own in a civil suit’ for ‘abuse with impunity.’

Comment by weez 09.12.07 @ 9:33 pm

[…] NSW Police clear NSW Police of wrongdoing over missing name badgesIt’s the due process, stupidSydney Indymedia- the real reporters at APECKing George’s flying monkeys protected from violent […]

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